{"id":144192,"date":"2026-02-05T02:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T02:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/144192\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T02:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T02:07:12","slug":"jacksonvilles-holographic-mayor-deegan-removed-from-airport-following-doge-audit-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/144192\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville\u2019s holographic Mayor Deegan removed from airport following \u2018DOGE\u2019 audit criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The controversial \u201cHolo-Donna<\/a>\u201d digital display that greeted travelers at Jacksonville International Airport has been removed, a move local Republicans celebrated this week as a victory against government waste.<\/p>\n

The removal follows months of friction between Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan and state leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. The state\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, initiative recently flagged the $66,000 \u201cProto Box\u201d as a prime example of nearly $200 million in \u201cwasteful and excessive spending\u201d within the city\u2019s general fund.<\/p>\n

Local GOP leaders and the Jacksonville Young Republicans praised the device\u2019s exit, characterizing it as a self-promotional tool funded by taxpayers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoloDonna has been removed from @JAXairport,\u201d the Jacksonville Young Republicans posted on X<\/a>. \u201cThis \u2018economic development\u2019 expenditure was solely for Mayor @DonnaDeegan\u2019s self-promotion at the expense of the taxpayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Included in the post, Jacksonville Young Republicans shared a \u201cRest in Peace Holo-Donna\u201d image, saying \u201cGone from our sight and the taxpayers\u2019 wallet, but never from our memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ingoglia previously mocked the display with parody poetry and a fake logo for the mayor\u2019s office: \u201cTSA: Taxes Squandered Again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGone too soon (not really\u2026good riddance),\u201d Ingoglia posted on X.<\/p>\n

Gone too soon \ud83d\ude22 (not really\u2026good riddance). https:\/\/t.co\/qMoXWE1PTs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Blaise Ingoglia (@GovGoneWild) February 3, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n

Deegan\u2019s office maintained that the timing of the removal was coincidental and not a result of the state\u2019s audit. According to a city spokesperson, the six-month pilot agreement with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority to test the holographic technology expired on Feb. 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always a pilot project for the proto box to be placed at the airport while we tested and debuted the hologram technology,\u201d the mayor\u2019s office told Action News Jax<\/a>. \u201cAdditionally, it was unfair to the airport to be subject to constant hyper-partisan attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city previously defended the expenditure\u2014which they noted represented just 0.0000375% of the total city budget\u2014as a way to showcase Jacksonville as a technology and tourism hub.<\/p>\n

The \u201cHolo-Donna\u201d became a flashpoint in a broader battle over local spending. Ingoglia and DeSantis have used the Jacksonville audit to argue for a 2026 constitutional amendment that would eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties, claiming the city is overtaxing residents by nearly $200 million annually.<\/p>\n

The Proto Box has been returned to the city, where officials say they are exploring its use for \u201cadditional public education projects\u201d within the Public Works Department.<\/p>\n

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